Thanks to
London's rising skyline, high-altitude dining is the city's latest trend. In
the last few months three new restaurants – Oblix, Aqua Shard and Hutong – have opened in The Shard, the 72-storey skyscraper near
London Bridge, providing impressive new ways to experience sky-high dining.

Take the
non-stop lift to the 32nd floor of the tallest building in Western Europe and
the views across London from the triple height, panoramic windows will stop you
in your tracks. (Luckily there is a small army of receptionists waiting to
usher awestruck diners in the right direction.)

To the left
is Oblix – a restaurant and bar lounge by Rainer Becker and Arjan Waney, founders
of trendy Japanese restaurants Zuma
and Roka. The glass-wrapped dining
room is a step in a new direction for them, with a New
York-rotisserie-and-grill-inspired menu. Diners can share platters of
slow-roasted meat joints, wood-fired pizzas and New England clam chowder served
from an open kitchen, or retreat to the live music lounge for bar snacks
accompanied by late night tunes.

The other
side of the 32nd floor (as well as the 31st and 33rd floor) belongs to David
Yeo's Hong Kong restaurant group Aqua. Clever interior design means you can see
a spectacular view of the winding River Thames and seemingly miniature versions
of the London Eye, Houses of Parliament, Canary Wharf and Big Ben from anywhere
you sit in the restaurant – including the toilet. Aqua Shard occupies two
separate wings linked in the middle by a dramatic atrium bar with
floor-to-ceiling windows over three floors. Open all day for breakfast, lunch,
afternoon tea and dinner, expect classic British cooking with interesting twists
such as Dover sole served with a cider sauce or Scottish mackerel with tomato
sorbet.

Above Aqua
Shard is Hutong, a Chinese restaurant focused on cuisine from the north, namely
the Shandong Province, rather than usual Cantonese style found in London.
Critics say Hutong is the piece de resistance of the trio of restaurants, thanks
not only to the food – try the perfectly moist Peking duck roasted in their
dedicated duck-roasting kitchen, served in homemade pancakes – but also to the
slick decor. Beautiful hand-carved panels, dark wood, vintage tea canisters and
red lanterns create a soft and elegant atmosphere. The focus is firmly on the
spectacular view, enhanced by clever lighting to keep it visible even after
dark. Sit back, sample signature dishes such as chilled spiced razor clams and
crispy de-boned lamb ribs and enjoy the sunset.